'Don't Cook, Just Eat'

As of Saturday, online company 'Just Eat' are launching a new campaign to promote their business. For those that don't know, Just Eat is an online company where customers can go online and pick from an array of takeaway businesses and subsequently order.

Their campaign is promoting the idea that people come home and waste time and effort making a meal, when they could easily just order one in. They are also trying to break the stereotype of 'trashy' takeaways and have the public view them as a legitimate alternative to home cooking.

Now I have some experience first hand of the company Just Eat. My Dad owns his own small sandwich bar, and was approached by them to sign up. They would take the orders and they would be sent through to his sandwich bar, and he'd be responsible for making and delivering them. Of course Just Eat will take a portion of the profits in order to sustain their company and in payment for bringing in the custom.

In the case of my Dad's business, he sat down and asked the family what we thought of this idea. We all agreed that for his type of customers it wasn't a good idea. He has limited opening hours and having worked in an office myself, his main demographic along with builders, I cannot imagine getting to lunch time and placing an online order, expecting it to arrive in time and eat it all within the short window of a lunch break. Also, I think many people would be sceptical to try this, because fact is if it didn't turn up, just once, I think it'd ruin your belief in the idea and it'd be hard to convince someone to order again.

However, when it comes to takeaways and evening meals, I think it's an interesting idea. Being a student, I fit the stereotype of being quite lazy when it comes to cooking. A lot of the time I wont start cooking until I'm hungry so I'll want something fast, which is either a crappy meal or if I'm lucky enough to have the money, a takeaway. Also, I have used online ordering, specifically with Dominos Pizza. So I think there is the potential for Just Eat to appeal to a student market, especially if, like me, when you get 10 takeaway menus through the door a day they go straight in the bin!

However, when it comes to families, especially those with children, I think it'd be hard to break the idea that a takeaway could ever replace a home cooked meal. It's safe to assume parents are protective of their children and want to know what is going in their food, and the easiest way to know is to cook it yourself.

Finally, in regards to the execution of the campaign, I'm not a big fan of the advert itself. I understand the idea behind it, and I think it may appeal to some people, however it didn't convince me that, as they say, the cooking should be left to the professionals. In my opinion, a cheap quick meal at home that probably isn't great for me is still a better option than a more expensive takeaway that I'm pretty certain isn't good for me either.

Here's a link to The Drum's article which also includes a video of their advert.
The Drum article